Ex-gymnast Rosanna Trigg staying on top of her game

Q What is your secret to looking so fabulous?

A A good balance of staying active and eating well. I really enjoy cooking and appreciate fresh, clean ingredients, so I don't find it difficult to eat healthy.

Q Has there ever been a time when you were not fit and fab?

A When I went to university, it was the first time I was not required to do gymnastics every day, eat well or subject myself to a strict training regimen.

Therefore, I put on a few pounds in my first year but I managed to shed them. I had the muscle memory from my years of training to help me get back into shape.

Q How important is it for you to keep up with your fitness routine?

A Very important. As a full-time mum running my own sports business, I want to have the energy to spend time with my son when I get home. Beyond the physical benefits, the emotional and psychological effects of regular exercise help to keep me sane and make me feel like I've achieved something.

Q What is your diet like?

A I absolutely love good food but I believe in eating everything in moderation. I am also conscious about filling my body with healthy nutrients.

I typically don't follow any fads or deny myself treats. I just make sure I get the right amount of protein, vegetables, fruit and carbs for an all-round balanced diet.

Q What are your indulgences?

A I am quite partial to chocolate. My husband also has a sweet tooth, so we indulge in cakes and pastries from time to time.

Q How do you maintain a healthy work-life balance?

A It's incredibly difficult to maintain work-life balance when I'm running a business, managing 20 employees and looking after my son and family.

But the beauty of being your own boss is that you can typically take time out when you need to. I do treat myself to massages and manicures occasionally, for example.

The most relaxing thing is spending quality time with my family on the weekends, and seeing friends.

My husband and I are fortunate to have our parents living here. This means my son gets a lot of quality time with his grandparents while we have a bit of time to ourselves.

Q What are the three most important things in your life?

A Family always comes first. I also value my work and running a successful business. It's important for me to show my son what it means to have a good work ethic and to enjoy what you do for a living.

The third point is to have quality time, be it travelling, time with my son or enjoying a bit of pampering.

Q What are your must-dos before and after a training session?

A It always comes down to being hydrated and conducting a proper stretching session. Stretching is a key component in fitness, but it's often overlooked.

Q What is the most extreme thing you have done in the name of fitness or diet?

A Trying the Dukan diet, which is heavy on protein and free of any carbs or sugar.

For five days, you eat only pure protein, before introducing other food groups into your diet every few days.

The diet allowed me to take stock of how much sugar is in the food that we eat every day.

However, I would not recommend it for sustained weight loss. A balanced diet is much more manageable and healthier.

Q How has your active lifestyle influenced your family and friends?

A Thankfully, my husband has always been quite active. In the past two years he has become more so. He trained for marathons and introduced me to more circuit and high intensity interval training.

My son already spends a lot of time in the gym with me.

Q How extensive is your collection of sports-related paraphernalia?

A I have about 150 medals and heaps of trophies from my time as a gymnast. My most prized possession is my first competitive leotard, which I keep in an airtight bag.

I wore it when I was four years old and won a gold medal with it.

Q Would you go for plastic surgery?

A Maybe, if it was something medically necessary. I would never say never, but it's not something that's on my radar.

Q Do you think you're sexy?

A Yes, but it is less about liking what I see in the mirror, and more about how I feel every day.

In my 30s, I am comfortable in my skin and I enjoy dressing up. On those occasions that I do not feel super confident, my husband knows how to make me see what he sees.

Bio Box

ROSANNA TRIGG

Age: 31

Height: 1.62m

Weight: 55kg

Ms Trigg has been doing gymnastics since she was four and trained intensively for competitions in her teenage years. She also started doing more exercise outside of gymnastics in her late teens.

"I took part in many dance classes and started exploring things like pilates, yoga and high-intensity training in the gym," she said.

Being active is such a big part of her life that she cannot recall a time when she was inactive. She said exercise helps her deal with stress and keeps her fit.

Now that she is running her own gym - she founded Gym With Me five years ago - she is constantly on her feet, as she also coaches children.

Her parents moved to Singapore from England in 1997 for work and have remained here since. Ms Trigg and her 32-year-old husband, a broker, have a 25-month-old son, Cuali.

This article was first published on December 22, 2015.
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